LINCOLN, Neb. — He made the most famous two-point conversion call in college football history, and the decision failed.

To this day, Tom Osborne does not regret the moment that likely cost Nebraska the national championship for 1983.

"I always assumed that if you're going to win a national championship, you play to win, not to tie," said Osborne, today the Cornhuskers' athletic director.

It's the 50th anniversary of the rule that gave Nebraska the opportunity to edge ahead of Miami in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2, 1984. The top-ranked Cornhuskers lost 31-30 when Osborne passed up a sure-bet extra point with 48 seconds remaining — a point that in the pre-overtime era would have likely ensured a tie and the national title. On the two-point play, quarterback Turner Gill's pass was batted away.

"After the fact, people seemed to know with certainty how things would play out," Osborne said. "But how would our team have felt if we settled for a tie when we could have won the game and somebody else was voted national champion?"

Nebraska had the chance because the two-point conversation entered college football in 1958. But nobody at the time considered the potential of final moment dramatics.

Instead, officials were seeking ways to increase scoring.

"It's become such a strategy thing, but people weren't thinking in those terms at the time," said John Adams, the former NCAA secretary-rules editor.

In 1957, the average team's scoring in a game had fallen to 15.6 points, the lowest since 1941. At the rules committee meeting in 1958, the first suggestion to punch up scoring involved field-goal kicking.

"Teams weren't kicking them," Adams said. "So we talked about moving the goalposts from the end line to the goal line."

But that was nixed for safety issues. Remember, goalposts used to rise from the field like metal corn stalks.

"Widening the goalposts was considered, but sentiment started to grow for the two-point conversion," Adams said.

The committee talked about placing the ball at the 5, but agreed a try for two should start at the same place as an extra-point kick snap — halfway between the 2 and 3.

Among those on the committee who liked the idea and were part of the unanimous approval were Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson and former Alabama and Duke coach Wallace Wade.

But the leading proponent was Michigan coach Fritz Crisler. He said after the rules committee meeting that the two-point play "will add drama to what has been the dullest, most stupid play in the game."

There were concerns.

Texas coach Darrell Royal called himself a purist and didn't like the change. But he changed his tune that season. The Longhorns had lost six straight to Wilkinson's Sooners, but when they scored the game's first touchdown, Royal went for two and got it. Texas went on to win 15-14. The game changed the series, as Texas won 12 of 13.

Others believed the play would only make the strong stronger.

"The Illinois folks thought Woody Hayes would go for two and make it every time from that short of distance," Adams said.

After all, Hayes, the legendary Ohio State coach, perfected what opponents called a "3 yards and a cloud of dust" ground game.

If he did, it wouldn't have been unusual. In 1958, teams quickly became infatuated with the opportunity to score more points. That season, there were more two-point conversation attempts than extra-point kicking tries.

In 578 games that season, teams went for two 1,371 times, converting 613 for 44.7 percent, and attempted 1,295 kicking extra points.

The fad faded as the math evidence piled up. Over the long haul, the one-pointer was a better bet than the two , and by 1965, college football was down to 331 two-point attempts.

But that didn't stop Nebraska and Kansas from maximizing their scoring opportunities in 1962 at Lawrence .

The Cornhuskers, led by future Missouri coach Warren Powers, defeated Gale Sayers' Jayhawks 40-16, and a two-point try succeeded after every touchdown.

Kansas, like Nebraska, was involved in a celebrated conversion attempt of its own in the Orange Bowl.

On Jan. 1, 1969, Penn State had closed to 14-13 on a touchdown with 15 seconds remaining. That appeared to be the final score when quarterback Chuck Burkhart's conversion pass fell incomplete.

But the Jayhawks were penalized for having 12 men on the field. Given a second chance, halfback Bob Campbell ran it in for the winning points.

Often, coaches have with them a reminder card that suggests when to go for two based on the scoring and game time. But former Jayhawks coach Glen Mason didn't need the card during his 1992 game at Iowa State.

Kansas looked doomed trailing by 26 late in the third quarter. When the Jayhawks scored what appeared to be a meaningless touchdown, Mason kept his offense on the field, saying later he had no idea what the card instructed in that situation. But Kansas got the conversion, and it helped spark a 29-0 run to finish the game and complete the greatest comeback in school history.

Earlier this season, the Cornhuskers faced a more immediate decision. With 29 seconds remaining at Texas Tech, Nebraska scored a touchdown to close to 31-30. Score sound familiar?

But Nebraska coach Bo Pelini had something Osborne didn't_overtime. The rule, on the books since 1996, has removed some drama from late-game decisions. In this case, the Cornhuskers booted the extra point to force overtime. They lost 37-31.

Pelini's decision wasn't widely second-guessed by the fan base, just as Osborne's wasn't on the bigger stage a quarter-century earlier.

"Most of what I've heard over the years has been positive," Osborne said. "I'm glad we had the opportunity to win it."